Sensabaugh ready for challenge of defending Gonzalez

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he wants more plays from his safeties. Gerald Sensabaugh is eager to oblige.

So much so that he’s willing to ignore his surgically repaired right thumb to take on one of the biggest challenges an NFL safety can face: defending Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez.

“That will be fun,” Sensabaugh told reporters in Irving. “I had a chance to match up with him before. He’s a great tight end. He’s been making a lot of plays here recently. I’m excited for the challenge again.’

Sensabaugh had a plate implanted after breaking his thumb in college. He cracked the plate in the first quarter of Dallas’ 17-10 loss to Denver three weeks ago.

Sporting a blue cast, Sensabaugh returned to practice this week after missing the 26-20 overtime win at Kansas City on Oct. 11.

“I can play like this,” Sensabaugh said.

That’s good news for the Cowboys, who are counting on Sensabaugh to help check Gonzalez, a future hall of famer who has 23 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Falcons after 12 seasons with Kansas City.

“When you get a tight end that can get away from linebackers or safeties, it’s just a hard matchup,” Dallas coach Wade Phillips said of Gonzalez, who leads Atlanta with 17 receptions for first downs. “They’ve been utilizing him really well. It hasn’t taken very long for the quarterback (Matt Ryan) to get on the same page with him. That makes it doubly difficult.”